McIlroy Roasts LIV, But Would Welcome Players Back to PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy, one of LIV Golf’s most prominent critics, says he’s open to players of the rival league returning to the PGA Tour. 

The Grand Slam champion said on The Overlap podcast Friday that he believes former PGA Tour players who made the jump to the Saudi-backed golf league have already “paid their consequence” from a reputational standpoint. But he recognized that his opinion may not be the consensus among PGA Tour players.

“If it made the overall Tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it,” McIlroy said. He also admitted that he was “too judgemental” of some of the players that first moved to LIV. 

“Not everyone is in the same position that I’m in. So if you get double the money to do the same job, it’s sort of hard to turn down,” McIlroy said. The 36-year-old once said that Phil Mickelson, one of the original LIV golf commits, was “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant.”

But McIlroy remained critical of LIV Golf, telling The Overlap that he believes the new league created a “massive fracture in the sport.” He also said that he thinks the new tour has “not resonated with people.” 

LIV has tried to differentiate itself from the PGA Tour by creating team-based formats and a 54-hole competition. Their ratings have still lagged well behind the PGA Tour, and they’ve already switched to a traditional 72-hole format in an attempt to secure World Ranking points for its pro players.

“They’ve now switched from 54 holes to 72 holes to get world ranking points. So you’re just doing what everyone else is doing, so what’s different, apart from the money?” McIlroy said.

There is still no clarity whether LIV players will secure World Ranking points in 2026, another reason a return to the PGA Tour may be enticing for some especially as merger talks between the two sides have stalled.

Former World No. 1 and nine-time PGA Tour winner Brooks Koepka announced in December that he was leaving LIV. Koepka said he left LIV to focus on spending time with his family and did not say he was returning to the PGA Tour.

DeChambeau, one of the most prominent names in professional golf today, said last week that he’s having conversations about an extension with LIV after his contract expires in 2026. But he also left the door open to other options.

Multiple golfers who played with LIV have found a way back onto the PGA Tour or DP World Tour events, but the rule remains that golfers who played a LIV tournament face a one-year ban from events solely sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

While McIlroy may be open to the return of players, he acknowledged that any rule change would need approval from the rest of the players on the PGA Tour.

“It’s not just me, and I recognize that not everyone is in my position so it would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision,” McIlroy said.